This wasn't Joe Namath predicting a Super Bowl victory or Mark Messier guaranteeing that Game 6 win over the Devils in 1994, but D'Angelo Harrison made it pretty clear what he plans to be doing the third weekend in March.
"This is our last game there," Harrison said of facing Seton Hall on Saturday at Carnesecca Arena. "It's our last game there. That's it."
That would mean no NIT, because St. John's almost certainly would wind up back home in Queens for the other postseason tournament. Its final two home games are at the Garden.
When told that sounded like an NCAA Tournament guarantee, Harrison smiled, and didn't back down from the potentially bold proclamation.
"It means everything to me and that's all I want to do," the senior said. "I haven't done it yet. We have done everything else from the lowest to the highest, so there is no other way to go but up. We are confident in making the [NCAA] Tournament, but we need to win Saturday first."
The path, indeed, starts Saturday when struggling Seton Hall visits Queens, St. John's needing at least three wins — if not four — in its final five games to enhance its NCAA Tournament résumé. With games against Xavier, Georgetown and sixth-ranked Villanova remaining, the firmly on-the-bubble Johnnies know they can ill afford a slip-up against the young Pirates, who enter with five straight losses.
St. John's (17-9, 6-7 Big East) still is smarting from an ugly 79-57 loss to Georgetown in the nation's capital, snapping a three-game winning streak. It was a significant step back from the Red Storm's improved play, an effort senior Phil Greene IV said was "unacceptable."
"I just know we can't play like that again," Greene said of the Georgetown game, in which St. John's committed 15 turnovers and shot just 32 percent from the field. "We need to come out with a better sense of urgency and more enthusiasm on the court."
Harrison (calf strains) and forward Chris Obekpa (right mid-foot sprain) are game-time decisions after suffering setbacks against the Hoyas. Harrison admitted he won't be at full strength for Seton Hall, but was almost certain he would be on the floor against the Pirates, albeit in a diminished role. Battling those troublesome calves, Harrison was 0-for-9 in the loss to the Hoyas, scoring a season-low five points.
"I know I draw a lot of attention, so I'll be in more of a different mindset because I can't do things that I always usually do on the court," he said. "Not necessarily [be] a decoy, but something like that."
The Pirates (15-11, 5-9) have their own issues, in addition to their losing streak. Leading scorer Sterling Gibbs will be serving the first of a two-game suspension for a flagrant 2 forearm to the head of Villanova's Ryan Arcidiacono in an ugly loss on Monday. And sophomore guard Jaren Sina left the program last week and plans to transfer.
Those two combined for 39 points, 11 assists and nine made 3-pointers in Seton Hall's New Year's Eve victory over St. John's at the Prudential Center. But St. John's remains wary of the Pirates and their talented freshman class, which includes three Brooklyn natives, McDonald's All-American Isaiah Whitehead leading the way.
"Seton Hall has been a thorn in our side," St. John's coach Steve Lavin said.
"They've got guys from New York and they're going to come in with a lot of energy and wanting to beat us," Greene added. "We have to be ready for a dogfight, regardless."
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